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Infant feeding in traditional (non-White societies) is imbued within beliefs surrounding the human body and food. This article, framed within the liminality theory, demonstrates perspectives of 38 Vietnamese and Myanmarese refugee mothers. Situated within the postmodern methodological framework, innovative methods of in-depth interviewing and drawing were used to gather participant’s subjectivities. As birthing renders the new mother and infant weak, the findings mirror a “liminality to vitality” nurturing continuum, acknowledging the (a) essentialism of bodily breast milk, (b) rituals that strengthen mothers for lactation, (c) lactation-inducing food, and (d) culturally symbolic non-milk food that promote an independence for nourishment other than from the maternal body. Health care professionals are called to value the importance of bodily vitality in birthing and clinical maternal–child health/nutrition spheres so that culturally specific services and consultations are rendered. Our findings also offer a platform to developing models of care for families from Vietnamese and four ethnic Myanmarese communities.

Aims To explore how postpartum support networks, hospital stay and healthcare services had an impact on breastfeeding experiences of refugee women from Vietnam and Myanmar in Brisbane, Australia. Design A qualitative study guided by feminist methodological inquiry. Methods Semi‐structured interviews and drawing exercises were conducted with recent (<10 years) and established (≥10 years) refugee women between July 2015 ‐ June 2016. Verbal data were analysed thematically, whereas drawings were analysed with the critical visual analytical framework. Results The findings reflect how 36 mothers negotiated their breastfeeding experiences in the “traditional‐biomedical” intersection (major theme) in face of changing support networks, social structures, hospital policies and postpartum services postresettlement (sub‐themes). Tensions of cultural unfamiliarity in the western setting generally contributed to early breastfeeding cessation among recent arrivals, whereas social (extended families, tertiary education) and cultural (English literacy) capitals and a longer stay in Australia enabled established arrivals to integrate the traditional and western biomedical beliefs. Conclusion The ability of established arrivals to integrate both traditional and western worldviews may assist in addressing breastfeeding uncertainties that affect recent arrivals. Perspectives of midwives from the western postnatal spheres merit future exploration. Impact Positive early breastfeeding experiences lead to its long‐term success. By identifying the impact that conflicting beliefs have on breastfeeding experiences of refugees in the western biomedical environment, this study suggests how interventions that focus on reinforcing maternal cultural and social capital could benefit community empowerment, healthcare and policy sectors nationally and globally.

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BackgroundPersecution and conflicts in countries like Vietnam and Myanmar force many to flee their countries to those with more resources, such as Australia, in search of a better life. However, maternal integration into the new society is often compounded by the task of nurturing her infant while she navigates unfamiliar and contrasting socio-cultural norms, ideologies and expectations. While global data show that child malnutrition due to sub-optimal feeding practices are high in lower income countries, there is no recent data that showcase the infant feeding experiences of refugee mothers from Vietnam and Myanmar in Australia or globally. Thus, an understanding of the beliefs, practices and experiences related to infant feeding decisions in their new homeland would help healthcare and policy sectors focus attention on aspects of maternal infant feeding negotiations that require attention. Research objectivesThis research was designed to understand infant feeding beliefs, practices and experiences, and the cultural meanings of maternal and infant health in Vietnamese and Myanmarese refugee women in Australia. The objectives were to 1) define the post-birth rituals and its connection with infant feeding; 2) understand the cultural definition and maternal management of optimal infant health in changing contexts; 3) explore infant feeding experiences in relation to societal norms, networks and social structures pre-and post-resettlement; and 4) examine the embodied experiences of nurturing in traditional and modernistic contexts. MethodologyThis study employed qualitative research methods to explore the infant feeding experiences of Vietnamese and Myanmarese mothers who have resettled in Brisbane, Australia.Phenomenological-, feminism-, and postmodern-informed methodological frameworks were used to guide data collection through in-depth interviewing and drawing methods. Most mothers had one follow-up interview and were given the freedom to express their voices through artwork at their preferred phase of the interview. Data surrounding infant feeding beliefs, practices, experiences and negotiations in social spheres were gathered. Verbal and visual data were analysed thematically and ii using the critical visual analytical framework respectively and later juxtaposed with the interview themes. There were thirty-eight participants; 16 from Vietnam and 22 from Myanmar. Half of the Vietnamese mothers were recent arrivals (< 10 years), while the remainder arrived in Australia as children or teenagers (> 20 years). Participants from Myanmar were all recent arrivals (< 10 years), and from four ethnic groups (Karen, Karenni, Chin and Kachin). Results and discussionsThe findings and discussion of this study were situated within four theories: Liminality; Maternalinfant Embodiment and Inter-embodiment; Motherhood Risk and Responsibility; and Bourdieu's Theory of Practice. Four main themes were derived from the data: Infant feeding beliefs; Maternal ways of knowing infant health and growth; Negotiations of infant feeding beli...